The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-09-23
AN oLp UNIVERSITY.


Historical E0etD Concerning RemnSylvomSoB
Principal Seat Of Learning.
The University of Pennsylvania bears
the distinction Of being the only Amer.
lea educational institution that was
ever stolen. A unique distinction. i'm
deed. 1t happened rather oddly. in
this way: The English nobility, hav-
ing contributed most Of the funds
upon which the school was founded.
asked King George III t, see to it that
the institution in the new country did
not fail into the hands of any religious
sect. The King complied and sent
over word that, il any more money was
expected from England. a guaranty
must be given that Dissenters, Quakers.
nor anybody else. should ever exclude
from it Church of England commune
cants. but that the school should
forever be for the general
good of all classes. The resolution
was passed and Franklin saw it safely
entered upon the records. Neverthe-
less. few years later the Legislature
of Pennsylvania, taking this resolution
as a text. declared that the purposes OF
the institution had been narrowed, and
in order that such a thing should not
occur again. they confiscated all the
titles and endowment funds given by
England. They named the school the
University of Pennsylvania. In this
way was the institution stolen and put
into its present governmental cOndi-
ton. Its important dates. therefore.
are: Founded by Franklin in 174S;
stolen by the Legislature Of Pennsyl-
vania in 1873; restored and set up in
present shape in 1871.
In internal structure the University
of Pennsylvania is nearer like the Eng
lish universities than any other in this
country. 1t more nearly embodies the
university idea as represented by such
schools as Oxford. Cambridge, Berlin
and Strasburg. Its most famous de-
partment is the medical, which is the
Oldest college of medicine in America
Connected closely with it is the Biolog.
ical School, which is one of the newest
departments, yet about the first school
in this line to be founded on this sid0
of the Atlantic. 1t is school for the
study of both plant and animal life iy
every form and is intended to supple.
ment the studies of the medical man.
the scientist and the naturalist Thee
there is the Veterinary College. which
is fast revolutionizing the study of the
horse and his medical treatment; the
School in Dentistry. and the Wharton
School of Finance and Economy, in
which is the first and only chair in
American history in this country. In
all of the departments are about four
teen hundred pupils.
The social side of university life is
almost wholly confined to the time
spent inside the college walls. This is
quite unlike most other Eastern coli
leges. and is so chiefly because there
are no dormitories connected with the
institution. The pupils lose themselves
from each other in the city, and are
only able to meet at the grand ball on
"Ivy Day." and the junior ball and at
the one concert given every spring by
the University Glee Club. There are
few secret fraternities, but they are
not strong. nor do they seem to enter
into the existence of the student as
they do in most other colleges.-Phiia-
delphia Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.